[Photography] How to Take Amazing Night Photos

Have you ever been interested in taking night shots, but never known where to begin?

Night photography can be intimidating, even for seasoned photographers who are used to taking shots during the day.

Well, now you can learn how to take amazing photos from dusk till dawn with our brand new Night Photography video course – launched in the last few hours.

In this online video course by regular dPS writer Jim Hamel you will learn:

• How to master exposure at night to take your photos from average to amazing
• The secrets to finding the best subject matter and locations
• The must-have gear to get these stunning shots
• Detailed retouching techniques to make your photos pop
• What to look for and how to set up your shot
• All the technical aspects to nailing the shot

This is our biggest course ever – with 9 learning modules, 11 practical ‘field work’ videos and over 6 hours of videos so you can learn everything you need to know to take beautiful photos at night.

Here’s just a taste of what’s inside:

Best of all – if you pick it up today you can take advantage of a wonderful early bird offer.

Early Bird Offer – Save 50% and receive a Bonus

As part of our early bird special on this course, we’re offing 50% off the regular price. Normally $99 – today you can pick up our new night photography course for just $49!

In addition to that great saving we are also including a “The Complete Guide to Shooting the Night Sky”, a 40 page ebook dedicated to photographing stars. This great eBook is yours free if you buy but only for a limited time.

Discover the Secrets to Great Night Photography Today

We’re so excited to share this course with you today. Everyone we’ve shown it to loves what Jim teaches.

The early bird price and bonus is only available at this price for the next 3 weeks, so grab it while you can here and start your journey to learning how to take amazing night photography images.

We Guarantee You’ll Love this Course

Like all dPS products our Night Photography Course comes with a 60 day money back guarantee. While we’re confident you’ll love this course if for any reason you decide it isn’t for you please just contact our support team within 60 days and we’ll refund your money – you can even keep the bonus eBook as our gift to you for checking out the course.

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[Photography] 5 Common Post-Processing Mistakes to Avoid

For today’s photographer, post-processing is a critical element of image making. Sure, when you first get started with digital photography, you might shoot in JPG mode and allow the camera to make decisions about things like color and contrast. But when you’re ready to take control of your images, it’s time to shoot in RAW format and make the important decisions about how you want your final image to look yourself.

When you first start shooting in RAW, you might think your images look a bit gray and bland. That’s because the decisions that the camera was making before are now left up to you. That can be a bit daunting! But here are some tips to help you avoid the most common post-processing mistakes and make sure you are helping your images and not hurting them.

Remember, the purpose of post-processing is not to fix bad photos, but to bring out the best in good photos.

Mistake #1 – Lightening shadows too much

Always try to get the best exposure possible in camera. You’ll get a better result when you start out with a good exposure rather than relying on the highlights and shadows sliders in post-processing to balance it.

That said, sometimes you will still want to use the shadows slider to lighten your shadows to bring more detail in the darker areas of your image. Just be careful not to overdo it, or you’ll end up with an image that no longer looks natural.

This is overdone, the shadows have been pulled too far here and it no longer looks natural. Notice it also introduced noise into the sky.

Shadow adjustment in moderation is better.

If you try to equalize the brightness of the highlights and shadows, you’ll end up with a photo that not only looks unnatural, but the lack of contrast will make the image look boring. Contrast is a good thing! This is especially true when you have a scene with a reflection. The reflection should always be darker than the scene it is reflecting, as it is in nature.

Mistake #2 – Over saturation

Another way to create an unnatural looking image is to over saturate everything. It’s a tempting thing to do because a little bump in saturation and vibrance makes such a big difference. Again, just don’t overdo it. A little goes a long way.

Before you touch those sliders, spend a bit of time thinking about your image and the colors in it. Sometimes adding saturation globally is not the best idea, especially if you have a scene that contains many different colors. Instead, consider using the HSL (Hue/Saturation/Luminosity) panel, choose Saturation, and use the target tool to add saturation to one color in your scene. For example, you might want to add saturation to the main subject to draw attention to it.

Over saturation leaves the colors looking odd.

Better saturation levels.

Mistake #3 – Over sharpening

First of all, never use sharpening to try to fix a photo that is out of focus. It just doesn’t work. Sharpening cannot fix blur. However, if you have an image that is in focus, adding a bit of sharpening can make it extra crisp and realistic.

Again, consider adding sharpening locally (to one select area) not globally, especially if you have areas of your scene that are purposely out of focus, such as when you have a shallow depth of field. Also, the sky usually looks better when it is smooth, so you don’t want to add sharpening there. Keep in mind that adding sharpening will increase noise, which is another reason not to add it globally. Rather, just add it to the main subject or areas of your scene with a lot of detail.

This has been over sharpened, you can see artifacts throughout the image here.

Better level of sharpening.

In Adobe Camera Raw, use the Detail panel to add sharpening. Then, hold down the option (or alt) key and use the masking slider. As you move the slider, the areas that appear black do not have sharpening applied and areas that are white do. This is an effective way to add sharpening to the areas of your image that have details. Another option is to use the adjustment brush to brush sharpening on where you want it.

Mistake #4 – Over cropping

The crop tool is a handy way to refine your composition, remove unwanted elements on the edges of the frame, and make sure your horizon line is straight. But don’t use it to remove all the “negative space” in your scene.

You don’t need to fill the frame with your subject. A little breathing room keeps the image interesting. Think about creating a balance between the space taken up by your subject and the space around it. This is not necessarily an equal balance.

Cropped too tight on the subject.

Cropped to leave negative space and lead your eye to the subject.

Mistake #5 – Too much Noise Reduction

Sometimes the nature of the light requires the use of a high ISO. Perhaps you need both a small aperture and a high shutter speed for your scene, so increasing the ISO is the only way to get a good exposure. That’s okay. The noise caused by using a high ISO can be reduced in post-processing using the noise reduction slider.

But nobody said that all images must have no noise. Not all images have to be perfectly smooth looking. Especially if there is a lot of detail and texture in your subject. Using too much noise reduction can create blurry splotches in areas that were previously sharp.

Too much noise reduction has been applied here and overall the image now looks blurry.

Noise reduction scaled back.

You may have noticed a theme in these common mistakes. Don’t over do it! Small adjustments go a long way to bringing out the best qualities of your images, but taking it too far can just as easily ruin them.

After you process your image, take a break from it and look at something else. Maybe even give it a day to settle. Then, when you look at it again, it will be more obvious if you have taken the processing too far.

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[Photography] How to Use Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography

Since the camera was invented, we have tried to copy one of the greatest wonders of our body; the human eye. Unfortunately, despite being over 100 years since the first time that we captured light, we are still far from overcoming Mother Nature.

Why? Because in the visible spectrum your eye sees much better than your camera.

Dynamic Range

The parameter that describes this behavior is called Dynamic Range. This basically defines the difference between the minimum and maximum value of brightness that a device (like your eye or the sensor of your camera) is able to record. In the real world, Dynamic Range defines the ability of your camera to see details in very dark areas and very clear (bright) areas of the scene.

If you’re wondering how much more your eye sees, the answer is staggering. Your eyes have about twice as much range that they can see and capture.

The problem

That’s why when you look at a marvelous sunset with your eyes you’re able to see all the details in the scene (in both the sky and the land). But as soon as you try to capture it with your camera, you’ll get an overexposed sky or a underexposed foreground. The Dynamic Range of your camera is only able to capture detail in one of those areas so you have to choose.

But if even the best cameras have a Dynamic Range which is only half that of the human eye. So how can we hope to shoot a beautiful sunset or a wonderful sunrise and capture all the marvelous details?

There are different methods to overcome this problem, but my favorite is the use of Graduated Neutral Density filters (GND).

What is a Graduated Neutral Density Filter?

A Graduated Neutral Density Filter is one made of two distinct parts; a completely transparent area, and a darker section. By setting the darkest part of the filter to correspond with the brightest portion of the scene, you can reduce the exposure difference (dynamic range) in the frame.

To reduce the exposure difference is to reduce the dynamic range of the scene, and thus allow your camera to simultaneously capture detail in both bright and dark areas of the scene. Basically, to make an analogy, GND filters are like a kind of sunglasses for your camera.

Types of GND filters

Graduated Neutral Density Filters are typically distinguished by the type of transition that exists between the transparent and dark areas of the filter. For this reason, we can identify three families of GNDs:

1. Hard-edge filters, which are characterized by a clear boundary (it’s obvious where one begins and the other ends) between the transparent and dark areas. They are therefore used when the separation between the bright and dark areas of your scene is very defined, such as the horizon at sea.
2. Soft-edge filters are characterized by a soft transition (they change from light to dark more gradually) and are therefore used when the transition between light and dark areas is not so clear. A classic example is a shot in a mountainous area.
3. Reverse filters, which are nothing more than hard-edge GNDs with the dark area that fades away the more you move from the line of separation to the upper border of the filter (meaning it’s darker in the middle than on the edge). Basically, they were invented to better manage sunrises and sunsets, where the light is more intense on the horizon line (middle). If you love seascapes like me, this filter will be one of your best friends forever!

Which to buy?

Another distinction is between filters is the construction material. Higher quality filters are made of optical glass. Putting an inexpensive resin filter in front of a lens worth hundreds (or thousands) of dollars is not a great idea.

Finally, GND filters are distinguished by graduation, or their ability to block light through the darkest area. Essentially how dark they are at the extreme. Normally in landscape photography, this difference is between one and four stops during sunset and sunrise, depending on weather conditions. This is the reason why you will find these gradations almost exclusively on the market.

Shop for Graduated Neutral Density filters on Amazon.com or on B&H Photo Video’s site (they ship worldwide).

How to use a GND filter in the field

The use of GND filters in the field is very simple; try to take exposure readings in the darkest and in the brightest areas of the scene (usually the sky). The exposure difference will indicate the intensity of the filter to be used. Let’s assume that the light meter reading for the sky is 1/250th, and the one for the rocks in the foreground is 1/30th. The difference between those readings is three stops (250th > 125th > 60th > 30th), so to balance the exposure you must use a 0.9 (3-stop) GND.

At this point, just mount the filter with its dark side over the brightest part of the scene. This is why a GND screw-in filter does not make sense. You would not have the possibility to align the dark area in accordance with the scene as well as a drop-in style filter.

To avoid having to hold the filter with your hands (that could be a problem if you are going to use them together with other filters) you can buy a holder, that once mounted in front of your lens will do the job for you. There are many valid solutions on the market, but the best one (in my opinion) is the V5 Pro Holder by NiSi filters. This is the only one that lets you simultaneously install three different filters and a polarizer without any vignetting issues (as wide as 16mm on full frame cameras).

At this point, the limited Dynamic Range of your image will be just a bad memory!

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[Photography] An Unconventional Composition Technique to Improve Your Photos

Last month I sat down and reread Michael Freeman’s book, “The Photographer’s Mind.” which I do occasionally. I find that by revisiting the words of other photographers I remind myself of the multitude of tools available to us. There’s so much we can do to create fresh and amazing photographs.

One of those ways is to push our skills and update our thinking. I think I’ve read through Freeman’s book about two or three times now. Every few years I take it off the shelf again. His books are insightful and interesting to read. Freeman offers up unique ideas for composition using both conventional and unconventional techniques. The books are readily available. You can also check out our review of one of Freeman’s other books here; “The Photographer’s Eye”. In this article, let’s journey through one of the concepts he discusses in his book, “Engineered Disorder”.

The details of the image are broken up into sections by the heavy shadows.

What is Engineered Disorder?

Freeman explains that Engineered Disorder is the active effort of a photographer to use non-conventional methods of composing photographs. Essentially, we are breaking the rules to create interesting images. Engineered Disorder means that we forget about conventional methods like unifying elements within the frame. We might allow ourselves to create uncluttered compositions. In one chapter Freeman talks about different methods of creating Engineered Disorder and bucking the system. He mentions using techniques such as disconnects, disruptive foreground, breaking the frame, superimposed layers and extremes of contrast. Maybe these terms sound complicated and a little too complex to understand, but they don’t have to be.

Let’s break down one of these techniques and see what’s involved in creating Engineered Disorder. We will discuss the use of extreme lighting or chiaroscuro to create disconnect within an image. It’s one of my favorite techniques. I love to include deep blacks and bright highlights in my compositions.

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro – chi·a·ro·scu·ro – the treatment of light and shade in drawing, painting, and photography.

Using this technique means that we employ very hard lighting to break up the unity of a composition. The image becomes a series of pieces that communicate meaning but are broken up by dark shadows and bright highlights. Conventional composition techniques would say that using this type of technique makes for a bad photograph, but remember we are pushing the elements of composition.

The strong shadows in this image hide some details from the viewer. The leaf can only be viewed in pieces. This means a viewer has to pause and take in each part of the image separately and then piece together the whole scene. Making a viewer stop and study your image is important. Given the number of photographs out there you want to make viewers take some time to digest your images rather than scan through and move on. 

 

Experimenting with dark and light

Consider my careful experimentation with Chiaroscuro. This image portrays the common Canada goose in a much more unique fashion. In the opening moments of golden hours, these geese become elegant shadows. The different sections of light and dark create interesting graphic qualities within the image.

In this second image, I’ve used auto tone to create a more conventional image. While the actual shot is very similar, these two different treatments create considerably different photographs. Which one do you prefer?

A more conventional exposure.

Other examples

Here’s another example of Chiaroscuro. This is a photograph of a unique area near my home. Everyone calls this place The Badlands. The red and gray clay create these beautiful graphic designs which draw visitors to the area. The hills are in danger of being destroyed by visitors, but the area is truly beautiful. The shadows and the light create beautiful diagonal lines in this particular image.

This are is now off limits to visitors because of the damage caused by walking on the hills.

In this final image, the light and darks highlight different circular objects. Perhaps this image isn’t as disconnected as the others but it still presents a unique treatment for the door of a fishing boat. The image focuses on graphic design elements of the boat rather than the uses of the vessel. The image has been turned into an abstract and most viewers will need to analyze the image before they can determine the exact subject matter.

Conclusion – your turn

Experimenting with different techniques is never a bad thing. You can learn and improve your photos by playing with unconventional techniques. Creating these images certainly pushed the dynamic capabilities of my camera. Exposing for deep shadows can be a challenge all on its own, but it’s a lot of fun to try out these different techniques.

While we’ve only discussed one of the methods for creating Engineered Disorder, these three examples clearly highlight the technique. It’s better to fully understand just one compositional method rather than scratching the surface of several techniques. Give it a try, and go a little bit extreme. Break away from the conventional and search for ways to compose images that harness the power of Engineered Disorder in your photography. Please share your results in the comments below.

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[Photography] 7 Tips For Photographing Strangers

For a lot of photographers (even some of the pros), photographing complete strangers is a struggle and they try to avoid doing it. For the majority, it comes down to fear, but for some who are fearless, they fail to capture photos that really do the subject justice. Some of the most recognizable photographs in the world are photos of complete strangers. It might seem like a contradiction, but photographing people, in general, is easy but also challenging at the same time. Here are seven tips for photographing strangers.

#1 – Overcoming fear

Without a doubt, for most new photographers, the greatest barrier is fear. For some reason, people find it difficult to approach strangers to take their photo. The question you must ask yourself is, “What’s the worst that could happen?”. The person could say “No” and that’s it. In fact, you are less likely to encounter problems if you ask people before taking their photo so the only thing that is stopping you is plucking up the courage to ask.

If you struggle to do so because of your fear or shyness, simply set yourself a target that you will approach just one person every time you are out photographing. Then once you are confident enough with one, try two, three and so on until you don’t even think about it. A good trick is to always offer to email the person a copy of the photo for their personal use and most people will be flattered that you want to take their photo.

Obviously, there are times when you have to just take the photo because you are trying to capture something spontaneous and the moment will be lost if you stop to ask. You need to assess what the situation is and how to approach it before and after. For example, if you are taking a photograph of a street performer you probably won’t need to ask permission, but on the other hand, they would probably expect some form of money in return. Whereas if you are photographing children, you would be wise to ask permission from their parents first.

The only way to completely overcome this fear is to get out there and do it. The more you approach people and the more you photograph them, the easier it becomes.

#2 – Be prepared

Okay, so you have plucked up the courage to ask someone and they have agreed, so what next? The last thing you would want if you are not confident in approaching people is to be messing around trying to find the right lens or settings. The only thing that will happen is that the subject will begin to get impatient and you will rush a photo that simply won’t work or worst, is blurred.

If you are new to this the first thing you should do before you approach someone is to get your camera settings ready, and as close to what you think you will need. While there is never a hard and fast rule of settings for any situation, photographing people is fairly straight forward outdoors in comparison to other branches of photography.

So to aid yourself, think about the scene and the settings you will need and have these set before you approach your subject. You can tweak these when taking the photo, but it is easier to change your depth of field than having to change batteries or lenses. Preparation is always the key to good photography.

#3 – Keep your composition simple

I get a lot of requests from people to critique their portfolios and the majority of the people photos that I see often suffer from the same issue – over complex scenes where the hero or the main message gets lost. Whether it’s an environmental portrait or just a simple head and shoulders portrait, the main focal point should be the person you are framing your photo around. So don’t try to overcomplicate it, keep the composition simple.

Always remember the message you are trying to convey and don’t get distracted by what’s happening around it. If the subject or the action they are performing isn’t the most interesting thing that is happening in that scene, you are photographing the wrong thing.

#4 – Think about the background

One of the key techniques for keeping the composition simple is your background. Try to keep your background clear and uncluttered so that it doesn’t distract the viewer. When out and about, find a wall or some bushes that can work well as a backdrop for your portraits.

If you do find yourself in a busy place and can’t simplify the background, use a wide aperture to blur the background in order to focus on the main subject. Keep a look out for what’s happening behind your model, as unwanted elements such as power lines, garbage cans, and building works seem to draw attention.

#5 – Sharp eyes

The eyes are the most important part of a portrait and they need to be sharp otherwise, the entire photo looks soft and doesn’t work. But the eyes are also a glimpse into that person and can really make the difference between an acceptable photo and a fantastic one. One look at the great photograph of the “Afghan Girl” by world-renowned photographer Steve McCurry and you are immediately told so much about the young girl’s life. It is crucial you make sure you have focused correctly on the eyes of the person.

#6 – The conditions

One of the downsides of photographing people outdoors rather than a studio is that you can’t control the elements and more importantly, the light. But fear not, photographing outdoors is usually not that difficult. The best place to photograph people outdoors is in the shade as you won’t end up with harsh shadows on their face.

But if you do find yourself with the scenario of sunlight producing shadows on someone’s face, this is where your flash can come in really handy. Most people make the mistake of using their flash just at night, whereas using your flash to fill in the shadows can help you capture great portraits in sunlight.

#7 – Camera settings

As I mentioned above, there are no hard rules for photographing people and it really depends on the situation. For example, if you want to freeze the action you want a fast shutter speed whereas if you want to show movement you will need a slower one. Depending on the situation and how steady you can hold a camera, you may be able to go to as slow as 1/60^th of a second but to be safe I generally shoot at 1/100^th or faster.

If you are photographing the person moving, you will need to set your shutter speed much faster. Sometimes this may not be possible without raising your ISO. Raise it too high and your photo will end up with too much unwanted noise and it will look soft. Just remember to get yourself setup before you approach your subject.

Conclusion

The fear of having to communicate with strangers often stops newbie photographers from photographing people. This is a real shame as people often offer some of the most unique photo opportunities in a way that landmarks and landscapes can’t. Fortunately, with a bit of courage and dedication, you can capture great photographs of people, even if they are total strangers.

Do you struggle with photographing strangers? Share your experiences, tips, and advice below.

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